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The Enterprise Europe Network (EEN), in partnership with Innovate UK is organising a funded Accelerator Programme visit to Japan, alongside Medical Japan 2018, for innovative UK companies operating in the Cell and Gene Therapy sector. The aim of this visit is to help attendees further develop their innovations through in-market partnerships, collaborations and knowledge exchange with businesses and research organisations based in Japan.

Cell and gene therapy has become a priority area for the Japanese government. Japan is focused on the need to collaborate with the national and international industry to pursue the commercialisation of new scientific discoveries. This, in parallel with the implementation of the New Japanese Regulatory Frameworks for Clinical Research and Marketing Authorisation of Gene Therapy and Cellular Therapy Products speeding up getting products to the market and facilitating the understanding of regulations by foreign operators promoting translational cooperation, makes Japan an attractive market in this field. Licensing, partnering, outsourcing, development and commercialisation opportunities abound, but collaboration is absolutely critical to the success of each one.

For this visit we are looking for companies with innovative therapies, products, processes, and services in the areas of cell and gene therapy, including regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. These do not have to be already commercialised but should have supporting data for proof of concept stage and beyond. Additionally, these companies must be looking to expand into the Japanese market or collaborate with Japanese companies for the first time.

Successful applicants for the Global Business Accelerator Programme to Japan will be given the opportunity to:

Learn about market opportunities and business culture in Japan at a briefing at the end of January

Meet prospective partners and take part in pre-arranged meetings in accordance with participant requirements

On site visits to local facilities of interest

Be allocated an advisor to follow up leads from the visit to Japan

We will organise and fund flights, accommodation and in-country logistics for all participating companies. A participation fee of £299 from each selected company will be required. This fee will be refunded after completion of the programme.

The programme partners are Innovate UK, EEN, the Knowledge Transfer Network (KTN), the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation.

Dates:
Application Deadline: 22nd December 2017

Participants selection: 8th -12th January 2018

Cultural brief: Week commencing 29th January 2018

Event: 19th – 24th February 2018

Follow-up: March – June 2018

Please note that the information provided on registration will be a key factor of the selection process for this programme. Be aware that the confirmation of registration does not mean that you have been accepted onto the visit. It is a competitive process, in which only 15 applicants will be funded to take part. Funding will only be available for one delegate per participating company. A list of successful applicants will be available in the week commencing 8th January 2018.

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